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Kohtaro Minami
|numberofepisodes = 51 (Black) 47 (RX) 3 (Decade) 10 (Movies) |cast = Tetsuo Kurata Ibuki (Lets Go Kamen Riders!) Hirofumi Tanaka (Voice in Super Hero Taisen) Hiroshi Kamiya (Voice in Kamen Rider Taisen (Black)) Kenichi Suzumura (Voice in Kamen Rider Taisen (Black RX)) |label2 = Kamen Rider Black Kamen Rider Black RX |complex2 = |-|Black = Kamen Rider Black |-|RX = Kamen Rider Black RX |imageheader1 = Showa |imageheader2 = Heisei |imageheader3 = Manga |seasons = Kamen Rider Black Kamen Rider Black RX |status = Alive/cyborg (2014) |born = 1968 |died = 1988 (aged 19; revived) }} , alternatively spelt Kotaro Minami'https://www.toei.co.jp/en/special/list_rider.html, is the main protagonist of both ''Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX. Starting with Kamen Rider Decade and continuing onto most of the later crossover movies, there are two Kohtaro Minamis who are independently Black and RX. Character History Kamen Rider Black Kohtaro was born on the day of a solar eclipse, along with his stepbrother Nobuhiko Akizuki, within the same hospital. Gorgom noticed this, and both brothers were entitled heirs to their leader, the Creation King's throne. After Kohtaro's parents both died (when Kohtaro was around 3 years old) as a result of an apparent accident, Prof. Akizuki then adopted Kohtaro alongside Nobuhiko as if they were brothers. On the night of their 19th birthday, they were captured by Gorgom and were remade into cyborgs and infused with King Stones. Kohtaro received the "Stone of the Sun" to become . However before the final brainwashing Soichiro Akizuki interrupted the final stage of the process with Kohtaro barely escaping. Having been pursued by Gorgom after his escape, Kohtaro discovers his newfound ability to turn into the a grasshopper humanoid as a result of their surgery, along with his newfound super strength and cyborg abilities. After receiving a letter from Soichiro, Kohtaro secretly meets with his foster father and learns the truth about his childhood. Soichiro reveals to Kohtaro that he agreed to join Gorgom in order to receive funding for his archaeological research in exchange for Kohtaro and Nobuhiko to be operated on during their 19th birthdays. When Kohtaro's father had refused to join the organization, Gorgom had him and Kohtaro's mother assassinated. After Prof. Akizuki is killed by five of Gorgom's Spider Mutants, Kohtaro transforms once again and takes the title of "Kamen Rider Black." He then vows vengeance against Gorgom and seeks to rescue Nobuhiko from their clutches. As Black, Kohtaro gains support from Nobuhiko's younger sister, Kyoko, as well as Nobuhiko's girlfriend Katsumi. He would often be found working part-time with the two girls at the Capitola café. He would also gain allies in fight against Gorgom, such as Interpol officer Ryusuke Taki and Gorgom's own Whale Mutant. Eventually Kohtaro reunites with Nobuhiko; however, Nobuhiko was converted into the perfected Century King, Shadow Moon. In their fight, just when Kohtaro was winning the fight, the Creation King temporarily turned Nobuhiko back into human form. This caused Kohtaro to lose the fight as Nobuhiko turned back into Shadow Moon and launched a surprise attack. In a desperate attempt, Kohtaro tried to convince Shadow Moon that Earth belongs to all living things, and that Gorgom's actions were wrong. Shadow Moon in response stabbed him with the Satan Sabre. Shadow Moon then reached his hand towards Kohtaro's King Stone. Just when it seemed all hope was lost though, Kohtaro suddenly turned back into his human form. The human form of Kohtaro reawakened the lingering humanity within Shadow Moon, causing the latter to retreat. Despite retaining his King Stone though, Kohtaro's wounds were too grave to heal on his own, causing him to die. In response, his remaining family left Japan and people from across the country lost hope in the battle against Gorgom. Luckily though, the Whale Mutant used a special ritual to resurrect Kohtaro, as well as raising his power. Having been revived, Kohtaro fought his way through hordes of monsters until fighting Shadow Moon and unwillingly defeating him. Kohtaro was then mercilessly taunted by Shadow Moon who told him that he shall feel regret for the rest of his life knowing that he killed his best friend and step-brother Nobuhiko. Despite these cruel words, Kohtaro told Shadow Moon to stay alive so they can later escape together. Using the Satan Sabre wielded by Shadow Moon, Black then fought against the Creation King of Gorgom and destroyed him. The base soon started to self destruct which prevented him from getting Shadow Moon out to safety. Kohtaro then looked at the ruins while saying Nobuhiko's name. With Gorgom defeated, Kohtaro visited the Capitola bar before leaving for unknown parts. RX After the defeat of Gorgom, Kohtaro is left homeless until he is taken in by the Sahara family. He became a helicopter pilot for the family's business due to their connections, beginning a new life for himself. Unfortunately, Kohtaro is later abducted into the Crisis Empire's mother-ship. The Crisis Empire was aware of his identity as Black and gave him an offer to join them. Kohtaro refused and fought back but was incapacitated when his transformation ability became disabled. He was ejected into space to float aimlessly until the sun's radiation altered his King Stone. When his pod entered Earth's atmosphere, Kohtaro miraculously survives and immediately discovers he had gained a new power in the shape of an evolved rider form. With his new power, Kohtaro engaged the Crisis Empire forces as Kamen Rider Black RX. Kohtaro's campaign was long and grueling. In one instance, the family's daughter Hitomi is kidnapped by Maribaron in a plot to make her the Crisis Empire's only living heir. Kohtaro attempts to rescue her using Deathgaron, only to land in the Demon World's Desert of Death. He then ends up in a trap set up by Maribaron. Deathgaron kills Hitomi, but in his grief and sorrow, RX invokes a new Rider power, RoboRider. Using his power, RoboRider fatally wounds Deathgaron before learning that the Hitomi killed was a fake and the real one was being taken to the Valley of Miracles. On his way, he meets Joe the Haze who is under the control of Nexticker, freeing him before they and Shigeru are captured by Maribaron and Princess Karuoriya. It was after they break free that Kohtaro realizes the princess is Hitomi, who was abducted to replace the real princess who died and was force grown by the nearby waterfall. When he attempts to restore Hitomi's memory, Kohtaro is forced to surrender when the Triplon captured Shigeru and Joe. Kohtaro was then placed into a room for a hole designed to counter his abilities as both RX and RoboRider for a slow painful death. His rage to save those he love invokes another new form, Bio Rider. After killing Triplon, with Shigeru's help, Kohtaro succeeded in having Hitomi regain his memory as she and the others are returned to their original ages by the people who originally resided in the valley. With only Joe and the Sahara Children knowing his identity, Kohtaro returns to Earth. During the middle of the series, Shadow Moon mysteriously returns to seek revenge against him, shortly after, Shadow Moon was finally defeated when RX thrust the Revolcane through Shadow Moon's King Stone, seemingly effectively turning him good shortly before he died after saving two kids. Looking at Nobuhiko's corpse, Kohtaro remembered Shadow Moon's actions and decided that in the end, Shadow Moon truly turned back into Nobuhiko. He then carried the now human form Nobuhiko's body to place in a location where he could rest in peace. In the finale, he was helped by the 10 veteran Kamen Riders to destroy the Crisis Empire. Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World In the film, the Crisis Empire devise a plan to defeat Kohtaro Minami by reverting him back to his old form of Kamen Rider Black and sending out several revived monsters after him. However, Kamen Rider Black is assisted by another RX, who used a time warp to help his past self. The two are joined by RX's alternate forms of Robo Rider and Bio Rider, and the four Kamen Riders combine their powers to defeat the revived monsters. Kamen Rider Decade and Black respectively.]] In Kamen Rider Decade, a two episode arc features two different Kohtaro Minamis - one from a world where he is Black RX, and one where he remains Black. The two even encounter each other. In Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, Black and Black RX appear together again, both portrayed by Tetsuo Kurata. After the battle, RX is one of the few past Riders shown to demorph into his human form, looking identical to the Kohtaro Minami from the World of Black RX; Black never appears in his civilian form in the film. Official material related to the movie, like the pamphlet distributed alongside its theatrical showing, make it clear that Black RX is the original character, but Black is another Kohtaro Minami who never became Black RX. In the manga adaptation of All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, based on the original script when the movie was planned to be the original ending of the TV series, Black, with V3 and Super-1 fight Decade, Diend and Kuuga in the final round of the Rider Battle as in the movie. When defeated Black, V3, and Super-1 expresses sadness that he "erased the Riders and can't meet them any more." Later, also like in the movie, All Riders return to fight Dai-Shocker. Bishum/Sayo Kadoya zaps Yuusuke into Kamen Rider Kuuga Rising Ultimate and he fights Decade. Shadow Moon knows who Black RX is. The other Riders stand back and BLACK says Decade needs to fight this one alone. After Tsukasa gets through to Sayo, Black RX comes to save her from Nobuhiko Tsukikage/Shadow Moon and it is he who destroys the Stone of the Earth. After this appearance, all following crossovers which featured All Riders would go on to feature Black and Black RX as separate independent characters, even while both continue to be the original Kohtaro Minami, with the difference that one seemingly didn't go through the events of Black RX, without giving any specific explanation regarding it, not even in official extra materials. Let's Go Kamen Riders A mishap caused by the Greeed Ankh unintentionally altered the timeline which enabled Shocker to utilize a Cell Medal to create the Shocker Greeed which defeated the Double Riders and seemingly erased the legacy of the Kamen Riders from history. In 2011, after Kamen Rider New Den-O's attempt to repair the damage, he along with Kamen Rider OOO and M-Ankh awaited execution. However, it was revealed the Double Riders had their brainwashing removed by a Shocker scientist. The Double Riders joined with New Den-O and OOO to fight Shocker's forces, but were eventually defeated. When the order was given to kill everyone, V3 suddenly appeared, asserting that there were more than four riders. V3 was soon followed by all the other revived riders that came after him, including Black and RX, as even though Rider history was changed, the people's memories haven't changed. After the riders were united, they faced off against Shocker's Great Leader. Later, when joined by a force of extra riders, Black and most other riders got on their motorcycles and performed the "All Rider Break", while RX hopped into his Ridron, together all Riders rammed into the Rock Great Leader and defeating it once and for all with the All Rider Break. Super Hero Taisen Kamen Rider Black appeared in a flashback where he was part of the group of Riders defeated by Gokai Red along with Hibiki, G3-X, Knight, Zolda, and Gatack. Both Black and RX, as separate heroes, were among the "All Rider" force during the "Super Hero Taisen" incident which resulted in the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai joining forces to defeat both Dai-Shocker and Dai-Zangyack. During the battle, Black RX is shown defeating a Gormin. Afterwards, a separate Kamen Rider Black joined forces with the , as they protected Earth in the same year, and launched an attack against the revived Shadow Moon and General Jark. Super Hero Taisen Z , and V3 as seen in Super Hero Taisen Z.]] Black RX was part of a force of Rider and Sentai reinforcements led by Kamen Rider 1 and that came to assist the Riders and Sentai of recent years who were overwhelmed by the revived monster army of the . The combined forces of superheroes were able to turn the tide against the Madou army. They lined up and used their various finisher attacks to destroy the revived monsters. After was destroyed and the battle was finally over, RX appeared standing on a cliff with all the other heroes who appeared to help, to say goodbye to the heroes of recent years before taking their leave. Kamen Rider Taisen substituted with Black)]] Black and Black RX appear as separate Riders again. They first appear telling the Heisei Riders to stay out of the current Badan crisis, attacking Tsukasa and Shotaro to take a young boy Shu Aoi with them when they refuse. Tsukasa escaped with Shu, while Joker faced off both Blacks until Baron arrived to aid Joker. They defeated Black RX with a Punish Mash/Rider Kick combo, though Black manages to escape with the help of Amazon and Super-1. The two Showa Riders beat Baron while he protects Joker from a Rider Kick/Great Slice combo. In another clash between Heisei and Showa sides, Black aids the first six Showa Kamen Riders. Black points that the wish of the Heisei Riders to bring back their fallen comrades is what allowed Badan to attack. However, the Heisei Riders don't back down and Black faces Kamen Rider Joker, with the two Riders taking each other out with their Rider Kicks. Gaim is soon left as the last Rider standing before Ambassador Darkness of the Badan Empire reveals himself to be Ryo Murasame (Kamen Rider ZX). Together, they execute the Showa Riders' plan to restore and bring together the other Riders. Black RX takes on various Combatroids alongside Schwarian, while Black faces more Combatroids and Baraom. Midway through the battle, they're attacked by the Generalissimo of Badan when he emerges, although from the soon takes the battle. After Shu is rescued by Decade, both Black and RX are among the Riders that attack Badan City directly to destroy the Mega Reverse Machine and Badan's headquarters. After the battle is over, both combine their powers for a Rider Syndrome technique, allowing Shu to meet his mother one last time. However, there was still one final clash between the Heisei Riders and Showa Riders in order for the Heisei Riders to be acknowledged by the Showa Riders. Black initially faces Hibiki while Black RX faces Blade, when the battle gets to the beach, Black faces Double while Black RX faces Ryuki in a sword battle. Shortly afterwards, Black RX faces Double, while Black faces OOO. After the end of the battle between Gaim and Rider 1, all other Riders stop their own battles and agree to protect the world together. He and his senior Riders, Takeshi Hongo and Shiro Kazami are one of the three main Showa Riders in this movie. He remains BLACK after Shocker alters the timeline into making Kamen Rider 3 exist. Affected by the timeline being changed from Rider 3 defeating the Double Riders, Kohtaro never evolved from Black to Black RX and remains as Black even into middle adulthood. Althought he fights against Shocker Rider Drive, he is able to help restore Shinnosuke's memory, but later sacrifices his life to allow him and Kiriko to escape the Drive Pit. Kohtaro is revived a while afterwards and evolved from Black to Black RX. During the Rider Grand Prix, he defends Drive from Mashin Chaser while on the Ridoron. In final battle, he joins Shinnosuke and his friends accompanied with most of good Riders to start their final battle against Shocker and their Great Leader with help of a Super Sentai Team . Chou Super Hero Taisen The Chou Super Hero Taisen Game World copy of Kamen Rider Black was the red representative and leader of Team Jiro in the tournament for the power of the Kamen Sentai Gorider. They faced Team Takaiwa in their first match, but it's not known who won. Either way, the winner of the match was defeated by Team Genm immediately afterwards. Personality Kohtaro is an emotional man. After losing his step-brother when he became Shadow Moon, Kohtaro tried very hard to get Nobuhiko back while being saddened at having to fight him. Towards the end of his first series, Kohtaro had to part with not only Battle Hopper who thanked him for everything, but also with Shadow Moon who he unwillingly defeated in combat serving as a maturity point for him. As saddened as he was for failing to save both of them, Kohtaro chose to keep on living his life.　 It was shown that Kohtaro is a trendy person who is into the latest stuff. As a running gag, Kohtaro has a rough side, and isn't too adept with plants. This goes even further in his second series, as Kohtaro once gave too much water to Reiko's cactus and tried to make it look like someone stole the cactus while secretly throwing it away. This shows a sneaky and shameless side to his personality. After becoming Kamen Rider Black RX, Kohtaro reunited with his bike who was also revived into Acrobatter, whom he often talks with rather humorously. Also to be noted is that unlike the previous series, Kohtaro seemingly managed to help Nobuhiko regain his former self as he died after saving some kids. The death of Nobuhiko strengthened his will as a Kamen Rider, causing Kohtaro to swear in his heart that he would defeat the Crisis Empire. Fighting skill As Black, Kohtaro utilized his power through physical brawling while effectively using his King Stone Flash against his opponents. He was also able to pilot a helicopter as shown in RX. After becoming RX, Kohtaro gradually became adept at sword fighting and shooting with precise marksmanship, turning him into an even more formidable Kamen Rider. Appearances in other media Kamen Rider SD (OVA) Black RX is the newest Kamen Rider and star of the animated short Kamen Rider SD: Strange!? Kumo Otoko. Black RX is still new to being a Kamen Rider and often leaps before he looks. In the movie, he has fallen in love with an instructor at a local sports club, which GranShocker kidnaps in a plan to destroy the Kamen Riders once and for all. He has been paired up in a team with Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider ZX, the latter of which has taken a liking to teasing the young Rider. His finishing move is slashing his enemies with his Revolcane sword. He rides in a modified version of the Acrobatter motorcycle. Unlike later crossovers which feature Black and Black RX side by side, only RX appears in this OVA. Video Games Kamen Rider Black: Taiketsu Shadow Moon Kamen Rider Black fights through various Gorgom opponents both on foot and while riding Battle Hopper in the video game Kamen Rider Black: Taiketsu Shadow Moon. Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001 Kohtaro Minami/Black/Black RX is a playable character in the Sony PlayStation crossover strategy game Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001 along with Takeshi Hongo, Hayato Ichimonji, Shiro Kazami, and Joji Yuki. Kamen Rider: The Bike Race Black RX appears riding the Acro Batter (Kamen Rider Black is absent) in Kamen Rider: The Bike Race, a racing game featuring the majority of Kamen Riders and Rider Machines up to Kamen Rider Agito. Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu Kamen Rider Black is soon attacked by Sasoritokages in the "Cable Room". After defeating him, he goes to the "Gas Chamber" and is greeted by General Black. He then sends Isoginjaguar to test Black's power. After Isoginjaguar is defeated, General Black tries to kill Kamen Rider Black by closing the "Gas Chamber", but it fails. Kamen Rider Black then enters the "Command Center" and soon encounters Utsubogamess, but the monster is no match. He comes face to face with General Black who reveals that the Big Gas Machine was created to evolve deceased monsters. He transforms into Hell Chameleon to face Black. With some effort, Kamen Rider Black defeats the General and escapes. Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride "To be added" All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation 1 & 2 Kohtaro, as both Black and RX is the unlockable characters on both games. His RoboRider and BioRider forms are used for super move. In the second series, RoboRider can use another technique by increasing the attack power of his Vortech Shooter, while BioRider can use another technique by slashing enemies with his Bioblade. Climax series "To be added" Kamen Rider: Battride War Genesis Both Black and Black RX are among the Showa Riders who make their Battride War debut in this game. Like both versions of IXA, Nago (the playable/2000s version of IXA) and Otoya (tag partner only/1986 IXA), both versions of Black can be paired if using tag partner mode. As Black, this form is a charge and trapping character, such as having a Vital Charge refill by holding R1 to use Vital Charge via holding square to gain an access of a powerful version of his special attacks once the power is fully charge, such as from Kingstone Flash to Rider Kick automatically, or as a counter when using Kingstone Flash during guard from enemies' attacks. Vital Charge charges can be perform during an attacks. His only super finisher is from Rider Punch to Rider Kick, which access to Vital Charge state. However, when entering the transportation mode riding his Batta Hopper, even while in "final form" state including when wait too long without riding his bike in that state, Vital Charge state is still limited like in normal state, but can be refill via charging on his Rider Chop and Punch special moves, as using Hold R1/D-Pad Up button will only exit his "final form" state and cost amount of meters. As Black RX, this form has a form change of becoming Robo Rider and Bio Rider. As his default current RX form, he has Sun Bask Resurrection Gauge, which can be accessed after its auto-regenration while in this form then dies at 0% reviving him in 50%. His "final form" is in his default RX form, but has a full access on using all Revolcane slash attacks, such as on his normals. However, unlike Ryuki, RX lacks vehicle changes while changing form, such as Robo Rider's Roboizer and Bio Rider's Mach Jabber, including Ridoron, which should a vehicle transportation for his "final form". Instead, as seen while as Robo Rider and Bio Rider when using a transportation ride, he will revert to back his default RX form. Kamen Rider Black intro in Battride War Genesis.png Kamen Rider Black RX intro in Battride War Genesis.png Stage Shows Maskman Stage Show at 3 Heroes Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the Maskmen are seen fighting usual foes, the , and Gorgom show up and wind up defeating them. Kamen Rider Black & arrive to assist the Maskmen. Maskman Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the maskmen are seen fighting the , Kamen Rider Black, Metalder, , , & , & , & arrive to assist the team. Liveman Stage Show at 3 Heroes Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the Livemen are seen fighting their usual foes, the shows up and winds up defeating them. & Kamen Rider Black arrive to assist the team. Liveman Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the Livemen are seen fighting the usual foes, , , the Underground Empire Tube, the Armored Army & The Sorcerers Clan show up and wind up defeating them. Kamen Riders Black & RX, Jiraiya, , & , Metalder, Red & & Change Dragon arrive to assist the Liveman. Turboranger Stage Show at 3 Heroes Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the Turborangers are seen fighting the , Kamen Rider Black RX & arrive to assist the team. Turboranger Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the Turborangers are seen fighting the Hundred Boma Tribes, Kamen Riders Black & RX, Jiban, Jiraiya, , , Red & Pink Mask, & Change Dragon arrive to assist the Team. Fivemen Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the are seen fighting the , , Kamen Rider Black RX, & , Red Falcon, & Red Mask arrive to assist the team. Jetman Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the are seen fighting , , , Kamen Rider Black RX, & , Red & Pink Turbo, Yellow Lion & Red Mask arrive to assist the team. Dairanger Stage Show at Super Hero Korakuen Yuenchi In a stage show where the core are seen fighting their usual foes, , & show up and wind up defeating them, so , Kamen Rider Black, , & , & arrive to assist the Dairangers. Forms After being transformed into a cyborg and having the King Stone called the "Stone of the Sun" implanted into him, Kohtaro became Kamen Rider Black who used the power of the King Stone to transform and charge his attacks. After being ejected into space by the Crisis Empire, Kohtaro's King Stone evolved giving him the power to use the more powerful and versatile Black RX form. |-| S.I.C.= Rider Statistics:Hobby Japan. (2005). S.I.C. Official Diorama Story: S.I.C. Hero Saga. Vol. 1. p. 59-61. ISBN 978-4894253896. *'Rider Height': 198.7 cm *'Rider Weight': 87 kg Ability Parameters: *'Punching Power': 3 t *'Kicking Power': 5 t *'Maximum Jump Height': 3 m The , also known as , appeared briefly before Kohtaro became Black. He usually transforms into this form first before transitioning into his standard Black battle form. BlackTransformationInTV.png|Kohtaro's transformation from Batta Man to Black - Black= Black Rider Statistics: . (2001). Masked Rider Chronicles: A History of Cyborg Soldier's Battle. p. 170, 186-189. ISBN 978-4812407837.Kamen Rider Official Data/Perfect File.Kamen Rider Exhibition (Macau). (2018). Kamen Rider Exhibition Stamp Book. *'Rider Height': 198.7 cm *'Rider Weight': 87 kg Rider Senses: *'Eyesight': 1 km *'Hearing': 500 m Ability Parameters: *'Punching Power': 30 tKamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing card: G2-056. *'Kicking Power': 50 t *'Resistance': 1 t *'Maximum Jump Height': 30 m Combat Techniques and Other Body Parts *'Rider Punch' and Rider Kick: The primary killer moves in the entire series were the Rider Punch and Rider Kick which is charged with King Stone Energy at the right fist and the right foot. After delivering either one or both moves to any monsters, they would be engulfed in flames before finally destroyed. Kamen Rider Black discovered his weakness when he was fighting a Crab monster. His Rider Punch had no effect on the monster due to its strong shell. To increase his capabilities, Kamen Rider Black trained himself to find a new killer move to destroy the monster. While training, he discovered a new Rider Punch which was more effective and more deadly. These stronger variations of Rider Punch & Rider Kick gave out stronger force of light and were more blinding. The difference between the new and the old moves were that the new ones required Kamen Rider Black to touch his knees before hitting his enemies. *'Rider Chop': This move was very rarely executed and did not have enough power to destroy a monster. *'Multi-Eye': His eyes glow allowing him to see monsters' movements in the dark and detect their weaknesses. *'Sensoring Ears': The triangular structures on both sides of his head would glow purple and enhance his hearing to super-human levels. *'Rider Sensor': Kamen Rider Black's antennaes would move to detect monsters which were moving too fast to be seen. *'Power Stripes': Black's striped bands on his neck and wrists would glow to repel any monsters' sticky fluids or goo on his body. *'Dragon Shoot': A move only seen in episode 16. The Dragon Shoot was taught by the Interpol Agent, Ryusuke Taki. Ryusuke threw the Ultra Quartz (a wanted object in the episode) towards Kamen Rider Black where he quickly jumped and kicked it with one foot. *'King Stone Flash': Perhaps the most powerful technique. By shouting out "King Stone Flash", Kamen Rider Black could fire a burst of energy from his belt. It worked every time to fend off the villains; whether it's the High Priests or even the powerful Shadow Moon. Appearances: Black Episodes 1-22, Hurry to Onigashima, 23-38, Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass, 39-51, Run All Over the World, All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, Let's Go Kamen Riders, Super Hero Taisen, Kamen Rider Taisen, Super Hero Taisen GP - Black RX= . (2013). General Facts of Kamen Rider: Turbulent Fierce Battle Chapter. p. 82. ISBN 978-4575306040. *'Maximum Jump Height': 60 m *'Maximum Running Speed': Approx. 100 m per 1.1 seconds Black RX is the current Kamen Rider form of Kohtaro Minami, a photosynthetic warrior as well as the evolved form of Black, using the sun as his main energy source. Combat Techniques and Other Body Parts *'Revolcrash' *'RX Kick' - Unlike Black's Rider Kick, the RX Kick is a double-foot attack which is twice more powerful than Rider Kick. *'RX Punch' - The Black RX version of Rider Punch with twice more power. *'Marco-Eye' - Ability to see objects behind obstacle and inside the enemies' body. *'King Stone Flash' - Similar to Black, it is used to either daunt or break the illusion of enemies. King Stone Flash is not always effective against the Crisis Empire. When Black RX performed King Stone Flash in front of Gedoll Ridoll, It gave the enemy a chance to absorb all the power of the King Stone. Black RX has another similar trick to disturb the enemies, which is to releases the light from Sun Riser. It can be assumed that this is exactly like Black's King Stone Flash, but with twice the power. Appearances: RX Episodes 1-22, Run All Over the World, 23-47 & All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. Let's Go Kamen Riders, Super Hero Taisen, Kamen Rider Taisen, Super Hero Taisen GP - Robo Rider= Robo Rider Rider Statistics: *'Rider Height': 198.8 cm *'Rider Weight': 88 kg Ability Parameters: *'Punching Power': 84 t *'Kicking Power': 144 t *'Maximum Jump Height': 48 m is a form where Black RX 's armor becomes bulky and more robotic-like, with black and yellow coloring and his Sunriser resembles a gearbox. During his duration as the "Prince of Sadness", both his strength and defense are enhanced. He is also unharmed by explosions or projectile weapons. The only downsides are that he moves slower than Black RX as well as possessing semi-robotic movement, slowing his reaction time. Appearances: RX Episodes 15-17, 20, 22, Run All Over the World, 25-27, 30, 31, 34, 38, 40, 41, 43 & 45-47 & All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. - Bio Rider= Bio Rider Rider Statistics: *'Rider Height': 198.8 cm *'Rider Weight': 88 kg Ability Parameters: *'Kicking Power': 140 t *'Maximum Jump Height': 72 m is a form where Black RX's armor becomes much sleeker, blue and silver all over and his Sunriser belt resembles a single King Stone one. During his duration as the "Prince of Anger", his speed is enhanced. He can also transform with speed of up to 1000m into gel for escaping traps or attacking enemies while not getting hurt in the process, as he is near invincible while in his gel form. Out of it, however, RX sacrifices armor strength, leaving him more vulnerable to powerful attacks. Appearances: RX Episodes 17, 18, 20-22, Run All Over the World, 26, 29, 32, 33, 35-37, 39-41, 43 & 45-47 & All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. }} }} Equipment *King Stone - Transformation device **Sunriser - Black RX's transformation device and an alternate form of the King Stone *Revolcane - Black RX's personal weapon *Wrist Communicator - Black RX's wrist-mounted communicator that he uses to summon his vehicles. *Vortech Shooter - Robo Rider's personal weapon *Bio Blade - Bio Rider's personal weapon Vehicles *Battle Hopper - Black's personal motorcycle **Acrobatter - The revived version of the Battle Hopper used by Black RX ***Roboizer - An alternate form of the Acrobatter used by Robo Rider ***Mach Jabber - An alternate form of the Acrobatter used by Bio Rider. *Road Sector - Black's secondary motorcycle *Ridoron - Black RX's personal car Legend Rider Devices is the Kamen Ride Card which contains the power of Black. In Black×Black RX, Diend snatches the card from Decade following its awakening in the World of Black RX, claiming that Tsukasa can't use it yet, then used the card to summon the Kohtaro Minami from the World of Black. In All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, Decade Complete Form Jumbo Formation performed the Final Dimension Kick, a variation of the Dimension Kick, transforming the Shōwa Riders, including Black, and Heisei Riders into Kamen Ride cards for Decade to travel through as opposed to Final Attack Ride cards before hitting the target. In theory, this card would allow Kamen Rider Decade to transform into Black. - Gaia Memories= - O Medal= : Based on Kamen Rider Black. - Astroswitch= : An Astroswitch bearing the likeness of Kamen Rider Black. It is exclusive to Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride, where it can be used by Kamen Rider Fourze to arm him with the on his left leg, which allows Fourze to use Black's Rider Kick finisher. - Wizard Ring= This Rider Ring which bears the likeness of Kamen Rider Black is exclusive to Kamen Rider Wizard's Wizard Ring toyline. When used by a WizarDriver wearer, it would be able to summon Kamen Rider Black. - Lockseed= : A Lockseed bearing the likeness of Kamen Rider Black, created when Black was defeated in the battle between the Showa Riders and Heisei Riders. The core image depicts the King Stone while the lid backside image depicts Kamen Rider Black's Rider Kick gesture. When inserted into a Sengoku Driver or when channeled through the Showa Rider Lockseed, it would allow an Armored Rider to assume . It is styled for Gaim, Kurokage, Bujin Gaim, and Kamuro in the toyline. *Transformation: Black Arms: Seiki Oh Black Sun! **Squash: **Au Lait: **Sparking: KRGa-Black Lockseed.png|Black Lockseed (locked & closed) KRGa-Black Lockseed opened.png|Black Lockseed (locked & opened) }} - Black RX= is the Kamen Ride Card which contains the power of RX. Kamen Rider Diend first used the card in the World of Decade, summoning Agito alongside Super-1 and Agito to fight Doctor Shinigami and the Dai-Shocker Soldiers in the 7-Eleven promotional campaign. In All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, Decade Complete Form Jumbo Formation performed the Final Dimension Kick, a variation of the Dimension Kick, transforming the Shōwa Riders, including RX, and Heisei Riders into Kamen Ride cards for Decade to travel through as opposed to Final Attack Ride cards before hitting the target. In theory, this card would allow Kamen Rider Decade to transform into RX. - Gaia Memories= - Astroswitch= : An Astroswitch bearing the likeness of Kamen Rider Black RX. It is exclusive to Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride, where it can be used by Kamen Rider Fourze to arm him with the Revolcane-like on his right arm, which allows Fourze to use Black RX's Revolcrash finisher. - Wizard Ring= This Rider Ring which bears the likeness of Kamen Rider Black RX is exclusive to Kamen Rider Wizard s Wizard Ring toyline. When used by a WizarDriver wearer, it would be able to summon Kamen Rider Black RX. - Lockseed= : A Lockseed bearing the likeness of Kamen Rider Black RX, created when Black RX was defeated in the battle between the Showa Riders and Heisei Riders. The core image depicts the Sunriser while the lid backside image depicts the Revolcane. When inserted into a Sengoku Driver or when channeled through the Showa Rider Lockseed, it would allow an Armored Rider to assume . It is styled for Baron and Gridon in the toyline. *Transformation: Black RX Arms: Son of the Sun! **Squash: **Au Lait: **Sparking: KRGa-Black RX Lockseed.png|Black RX Lockseed (locked & closed) KRGa-Black RX Lockseed opened.png|Black RX Lockseed (locked & opened) - Shift Car= * : Allows Drive to activate a Legend Rider Tire Exchange. When used in the DX Drive Driver, it gives the sound for a Type Exchange into . - Ridewatches= : Based on Kamen Rider Black RX, this Ridewatch would provide access to the BlackRXArmor. It is dated 1988. Black_RX_Ridewatch.jpg|Black RX Ridewatch (inactive) - Robo Rider= : Based on Robo Rider, this Ridewatch would provide access to the RoboRiderArmor. It is dated 1988. KRZiO-Robo Rider Ridewatch.png|Robo Rider Ridewatch KRZiO-Robo Rider Ridewatch (Inactive).png|Robo Rider Ridewatch (Inactive) - Bio Rider= : Based on Bio Rider, this Ridewatch would provide access to the BioRiderArmor. It is dated 1988. KRZiO-Bio Rider Ridewatch.png|Bio Rider Ridewatch KRZiO-Bio Rider Ridewatch (Inactive).png|Bio Rider Ridewatch (Inactive) }} }} }} Behind the scenes Portrayal and Casting Kohtaro Minami is played by . Kurata auditioned for the role of Kohtaro Minami in January 1987, when he had just graduated from high school. In a 2006 interview, Kurata had stated that, during the audition, he hadn't been able to portray the character appropriately, and did not think he would get the role. To his surprise, he was chosen by Shōtarō Ishinomori himself to play the lead role, beating some 8,000 other contestants. During this period, Kurata underwent intense training that included stage combat techniques, physical exercise sessions and acting and singing lessons. On October 4, 1987, Kamen Rider Black premiered on TBS to public and critical acclaim. The success of the series, which ran for 51 episodes, generated enough interest from Toei Company executives to persuade them to produce a sequel, something unprecedented in the Kamen Rider Series franchise. After finishing his work on Black, Kurata was approached by Toei and renewed his contract for one more year in exchange for a salary raise to work on Black s sequel, Kamen Rider Black RX, this resulted in him becoming the only actor to be the star of two shows in the Kamen Rider Series. In a 1989 magazine interview, Kurata said he preferred Black ''over ''Black RX, quoting the comedy from the latter as "excessive". It is rumored that Kurata declined later invitations to reprise his role as Kohtaro in fear of being typecasted, but such rumors were never confirmed. As Kamen Rider Black, his suit actor was who also did work for RX along with Robo Rider and Bio Rider. Other suit actors were , who did Robo Rider and Bio Rider, and who did work for Robo Rider. Tetsuo came back to voice Kohtaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black in Kamen Rider: Seigi No Keifu. In 2009, Kurata returned as Kohtaro Minami in Kamen Rider Decade where he played both his Black and Black RX incarnations at the same time. The alternate RX appeared first appeared in episode 26, RX! Dai-Shocker Attack, then joining forces with the A.R. Black in the next, Black × Black RX. That same year, he had a cameo as the original Kohtaro Minami, untransformed from Black RX, in the movie, Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. In All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, did suitwork for RX, Robo Rider, and Bio Rider while Jiro Okamoto also did work for RX and Black. In OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders, Kamen Rider Black was voiced by while Jiro Okamoto acted as suit actor for RX. In , Jiro Okamoto again acted as suit actor for RX, while provided the voice for Kamen Rider Black. In Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai, both Black and Black RX were voiced by and respectively. Rider No. As the leading Rider protagonist of Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX, Kohtaro Minami is labeled and as Kamen Rider Black & and as Kamen Rider Black RX. Two Kohtaro Minamis *There have been several instances where Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX have existed independently from each other. **The first was in Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World where a time warp causes Kohtaro to meet his past self. He also meets himself in his other forms, Robo Rider and Bio Rider, who also arrived due to the time warp. **The second was in the two episode arc (RX! Dai-Shocker Attack/''Black × Black RX) of ''Kamen Rider Decade, in which the World of Black and the World of Black RX were treated as separate universes. **The third was in Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. All returning Riders in this movie were stated to be the originals by the producers and assorted official material, like official site bios, but two Kohtaro Minamis still coexisted, both portrayed by Tetsuo Kurata, similarly to the Decade TV show appearance, meaning one or both of them could have been the Kohtaro Minamis from either the World of Black or World of Black RX. **The fourth was in OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders, where there wasn't a proper explanation for their combined appearance. However it can be assumed that they are both Kohtaro from different points in time similar to the aforementioned Run All Over the World. **The fifth was Super Hero Taisen, which yet again features both side by side, but only in the final battle, without any specific explanation for their combined appearance. The movie pamphlet distributed alongside theatrical showings of the movie references how Black's destined battle against Shadow Moon continues even 25 years later. However, since Kamen Rider Decade is involved, it can be assumed that the Kamen Rider Black in the movie is the one from the World of Black, where Kohtaro never lost his powers. **The sixth instance was in Kamen Rider Taisen when both of them appear to battle Kamen Rider Joker. Once again, no explanation is given. But, considering Decade's involvement in the film it is likely that one or both of them are A.R. World Riders. **The seventh is in the 8ing's Kamen Rider video game series since Climax Heroes series, while pairing both Black and Black RX in the team slots, presumably that both Blacks are from different timelines. **A special case occurs in , where both Black and Black RX appear, but at separate points in the film, and that they are both the original Kohtaro Minami. *According to producer Shinichiro Shirakura, due to many fans prefering Black over Black RX, Toei has decided to treat them as seperate people, starting with Kamen Rider Decade.Yep. In fact, Korarou in Black and him in RX are different persons. - Shinichiro Shirakura's tweet. Dub names *Kohtaro is renamed as Robert Akizuki in the Filipino dub and as Isamu Minami in Brazil. Kamen Rider Black was named either "Blackman" or "Black Kamen Rider" in Brazilian-Portuguese. *The Filipino dub's transformation call was "Rider Change" and "Mantra Aji" in the Indonesian dub. Notes *Kohtaro is the only Rider to be the leading protagonist of two shows in the Kamen Rider Series. Because of this, he also has the following distinctions: **Kohtaro currently holds the record of the Rider with the most appearances. *As Black RX's Bio Rider form, Kohtaro is the first Kamen Rider who can turn into liquid via an alternate form, this power would be repeated by future Kamen Riders OOO and Wizard who can become liquid via Shauta Combo and Water Style respectively. *Kohtaro's Robo Rider form is hampered by stilted, robotic movements. In rare instances, however, Robo Rider can move unhindered, due to having superhuman reflexes. *As shown in episode 41 of Kamen Rider Black and the movie Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World, Kohtaro Minami/Kamen Rider Black (RX) is somehow immune to temporal changes, similar to a Singularity Point. **Yet, this is often not the case in later movies and specials, with Black (RX) being erased out of existence whenever a villain messes with the timeline. ***The only possible exception to this so far is Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3, with Kohtaro as Kamen Rider Black not only still being one of the few good Riders left, but somehow being revived as Kamen Rider Black RX upon his initial defeat. *Both Black and RX are homaged by Leona Heidern, a character from SNK's King of Fighters series of video games. Her Rebel Spark desperation move is almost an exact copy of the Revolcrash, including the leaping stab, a shower of sparks, and elaborate pose before the opponent explodes. However, Leona performs the move with her bare hands, and the explosion is caused by her planting an explosive on her opponent. Additionally, Leona's jumping Strike Attack (Hard Punch + Hard Kick together) is identical to Black's Rider Kick, even featuring a red energy aura around her feet. *Kohtaro is the only Rider to get a new name upon Form Changing (going from Kamen Rider Black RX to just Robo Rider/Bio Rider). Unlike most Riders that would proceed him, Kohtaro does not need to perform a transformation pose or rely on a gadget to change forms, allowing him to change between Rider forms at a moment's notice. *Black RX accessing his weapon through his belt would later be replicated with Kamen Rider Agito, and Ghost. *Kohtaro's and Nobuhiko's birthdate is most likely September 22, 1968 - as they turn 19 in the first episode of BLACK, which takes place in 1987, it's sure that they were born in 1968. In that year there was only one Solar eclipse, which was a total one and took place on September 22. Appearances * Kamen Rider Black **Episode 1: Black!! Transformation **Episode 2: Monster Party **Episode 3: Strange? Strange Cyborg **Episode 4: The Devil's Laboratory **Episode 5: Run Through the Maze, Kohtaro **Episode 6: The Secret Clairvoyance Mystery **Episode 7: The Restored Organism Mecha **Episode 8: The Devil's Trill **Episode 9: Bishum's Red Lips **Episode 10: Where's Nobuhiko? **Episode 11: Starved Monsters **Episode 12: The Super Machine Legend is Born **Episode 13: Mama's the Monster Raising Official **Episode 14: The Day Tuna Disappeared **Episode 15: The Targeted Bizarre Academy **Episode 16: Friend!! Crossing the Sea **Episode 17: Kyoko's Strange Dream **Episode 18: Kensei Bilgenia!! **Episode 19: The Limit-Reaching Hellish Trap **Episode 20: Rider's Graveyard **Episode 21: Crash! Two Great Machines **Episode 22: The Black Shadow That Attacks Papa **''Kamen Rider Black: Hurry to Onigashima'' **Episode 23: Marmo's Magic Power **Episode 24: The Female College Student's Nightmare **Episode 25: The Roaring Armed Mecha **Episode 26: Save the Esper Girl **Episode 27: The Fire-Spouting Dangerous Highway **Episode 28: The Scarab That Invites Hell **Episode 29: The Trophy's a Death Mask? **Episode 30: Aloha to an Assassin! **Episode 31: Burn! Boy Warriors **Episode 32: Dream Girl Yuki **Episode 33: The River of a Father and Child's Love **Episode 34: Revival?! Hell Prince **Episode 35: Showdown! Two Princes **Episode 36: The War Declaration of Love and Death **Episode 37: Memories are Yubari's Sky **Episode 38: Riddle!? The EP-Party Boy Squad **''Kamen Rider Black: Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass'' **Episode 39: The Idol's Evil Power **Episode 40: The Karate Master's Secret **Episode 41: The Dangerous Time Thief **Episode 42: Tokyo - Big Monster Gathering **Episode 43: The Monster Farm's Duel! **Episode 44: The Drawer's Inner is the Sea **Episode 45: Suspicious Flower Bishum's Death **Episode 46: Grand Baraom's Death **Episode 47: The Rider Dies! **Episode 48: Oceanic Reminiscence's Bouquet **Episode 49: Fierce Fighting! Darom's Death **Episode 50: The Creation King's True Identity? **Episode 51/Finale: Gorgom's Last Day * Kamen Rider 1 Through RX: Big Gathering * Kamen Rider Black RX **Episode 1: Child of the Sun! RX **Episode 2: Covered in Light! RX **Episode 3: RX vs. the Knight of the Wind **Episode 4: The Car of Light, Ridoron **Episode 5: Cave Exploration's Falling Hole **Episode 6: The Strange Demon Extraterrestrials' Great Riot! **Episode 7: SOS! The Story of Friendship **Episode 8: Papa and Mama's Secret **Episode 9: Maribaron's Witchcraft **Episode 10: Surprised with Replicas **Episode 11: The Scraps' Revolt **Episode 12: The Assassin in the Dreams **Episode 13: The Targeted Strange Demon Girl **Episode 14: Hitomi-chan's Kidnapping **Episode 15: Robo Rider's Birth **Episode 16: The Miraculous Valley's Princess **Episode 17: Bio Rider! **Episode 18: Mystery! A Dream of Swimming in the Air **Episode 19: The Artificial Sun of Terror! **Episode 20: The Banana-eating Ogre **Episode 21: The Front of Love and Friendship **Episode 22: Shadow Moon! **Episode 23: RX Became a Pig **Episode 24: Papa is Dracula **Episode 25: The Bride of the Scorpion Seat **Episode 26: Bosgun's Counterattack **''Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World'' **Episode 27: Great Counterattack! The Prince of Shadows **Episode 28: Agent of the Majestic Emperor **Episode 29: A World Without Water **Episode 30: Tomorrow in Tears, Tokyo's a Desert **Episode 31: The Woman who Saw the Evil Devil World **Episode 32: The Sky of Love and Hope **Episode 33: The Decisive Battle of the Bridge Over the Straits **Episode 34: The Shikoku Aircraft Plans!! **Episode 35: Kohtaro Wanted!! **Episode 36: Who's the Hero!? **Episode 37: Peeling with Tusks, the Beastman Ninja Troop **Episode 38: The Wicked Dance Troop of the White Bone Field **Episode 39: Running Explosion! Mini 4WD **Episode 40: The Trap of the Ghostly Housing Development **Episode 41: Terror of the 100 Eyed Hag **Episode 42: The Four Commanders Are Banished **Episode 43: Defeated!! RX **Episode 44: Fight! All Riders **Episode 45: False Rider's Last Days **Episode 46: The Riders' All Out Charge **Episode 47/Finale: A Shining Tomorrow! * Kamen Rider World * Kamen Rider Decade **Episode 26: RX! Dai-Shocker Attack **Episode 27: Black × Black RX **''Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker'' * OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders * Kamen Rider Fourze **Episode 2: Space Superiority * Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen * Kamen Rider × Super Sentai × Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z * Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai * Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3 }} Footnotes See Also *Kohtaro Minami (future) - alternative future version in Kamen Rider Black (manga). *Kohtaro Minami (A.R. World) - alternative counterpart in Kamen Rider Decade. *Kohtaro Minami (A.R. World 2) - alternative counterpart in Kamen Rider Decade. Category:Kamen Riders Category:Kamen Rider Black Category:Kamen Rider Black RX Category:Showa Era Riders Category:Heroes Category:Grasshopper Monsters Category:Black Riders Category:Revived Riders